Casa del Mexicano: An Unsung Hero for L.A.’s Latinos

An illegal immigrant, homesick for his village in the Mexican state of Michoacan, decided he had had enough of the United States during the holidays, but he didn’t have enough money to leave. He had been in Los Angeles only two months, and had no idea where to go for help.

That is until someone at a Church in Boyle Heights told him about Casa del Mexicano.

He walked over to the community center’s headquarters in an old, converted Methodist church in Boyle Heights and asked for help. His story was checked out and less than a day later, a bus ticket was purchased for him. “But we drove him to the bus station to make sure he left,” said Miguel Arenas, director of Casa del Mexicano.

Its willingness to help disaster victims, needy families and people just down on their luck has made Casa del Mexicano an unsung hero in Los Angeles’ Latino community, where it has a reputation for taking care of its own.

‘Help Them Immediately’

“When I worked for the city, we’d send people we couldn’t help (there) because it’s one of the very few organizations that would help them immediately with cash,” longtime Latino activist Lourdes Saab said. “It’s good to know there’s an agency that does that.”

Casa del Mexicano is a clearinghouse for many cultural and sports groups, offering them a convenient place for meetings free of charge. Its auditorium becomes a classroom for English lessons.

For 40 years, the center has done its work with volunteers and without grants, loans and fanfare.

“We don’t do the things we do for publicity,” said radio announcer and promoter Arenas, who heads up Casa del Mexicano. “We do it out of concern for our people. That’s all.”

What seems to most amaze people is the center’s ability to help thousands of people each year despite the fact that most of the volunteers are small businessmen with limited resources and that its major fund-raiser, a beauty pageant, clears $26,000 a year.

“We do go asking for (food and toy) donations,” said Samuel Magana, whose Los Angeles-based Mexican food products company is a major source for goods and cash. “And then we give (money) for whatever else is needed.”

That might mean anything from giving shelter to a homeless family to paying to send the body of a deceased person south of the border.

Also typical of its work, Casa del Mexicano last year:

- Donated nearly $47,000 to pay for the construction and furnishings of seven homes in the Mexican state of Jalisco to replace homes destroyed in the 8.1 earthquake that killed at least 10,000 people in and around Mexico City on Sept. 19, 1985.

- Supported 30 other Mexican families, also victims of the devastating quake, for about 16 months while they got their lives back together. Casa volunteers, generous at heart but slow with pocket calculators, are not sure how much money has been given because of the devalued Mexican peso. Estimates, however, range from $10,000 to $15,000.

- Handed out nearly 7,000 food baskets and an estimated 40,000 toys to needy Eastside families.

Sometimes, the needy are referred to Casa del Mexicano by other social agencies or government officials. But most of the people who come to the center seem to have heard of it by word of mouth.

A lone secretary, working in a small office just off the nave-turned-meeting hall, usually greets them. A quick assessment of the situation is made and a call, usually to volunteers Jaime and Armida Caro, will usually result in help.

In times of great calamity, no phone calls are needed. The building can quickly be overcome with frantic activity, as it was during the Mexico City quake when the organization sent 3,500 boxes of clothing within days of the disaster.

The driving force behind Casa is a small cadre of about 12 volunteers, known as El Comite de Beneficencia Mexicana Inc., which was founded in 1931. Although the founders have passed on, the nucleus that makes up El Comite today strives to sustain a legacy rooted in the forced repatriation of Mexicans in the 1930s, said Arenas, who is the group’s president.

The Depression created a hostile atmosphere toward Mexicans--illegal immigrants and those born in the United States, on the belief that their removal would free up jobs for American citizens. In Los Angeles, the Mexican Consulate helped arrange free train rides that took more than 13,000 people to Mexico. But problems associated with the relocation arose and the consulate set up El Comite to take on situations that it did not have the resources or time to handle.

Active Volunteers

Some notables have been a part of El Comite’s work. Among them was Romana Banuelos, former treasurer of the United States under President Richard Nixon and owner of Ramona’s Mexican Food Products Inc. But most of the active volunteers were small businessmen, owners of restaurants, dress shops and bookkeeping offices.

Although the center is rooted in Mexican history--it is located on Calle Pedro Infante, named for the famed Mexican singer--Casa del Mexicano tries to help all comers, regardless of their background.

“We’ve helped Salvadorans and other Latinos,” said East Los Angeles funeral director Gilberto Castaneda, who headed up the community center’s efforts in the mid-1970s. “We try to help all people.”